General health
Coughs, infections, aches, tiredness and the symptoms you have been meaning to get looked at for a while.
Neighbourhood practice
Healthcare that is allowed to take its time.
Velvet Street Clinic is a small general practice built around longer appointments and the same familiar faces. We look after everyday health for adults, families and older neighbours — from a first worry to a settled plan.
Appointments run to thirty minutes, so nothing gets left to the next visit.
- Thirty-minute slotsEnough room to talk through more than one thing.
- One named clinicianYou keep the same person across a course of care.
- Plain-language notesA written summary of every plan we agree on.
What we treat
Six areas of everyday care
If what you need sits outside this list, send us a note anyway — we will tell you honestly whether we are the right place, and where to go if we are not.
Long-term conditions
Reviews and adjustments for blood pressure, asthma, thyroid and diabetes care, with follow-up booked before you leave.
Skin
Mole checks, rashes, acne and eczema, with dermatoscope imaging kept on file so changes are easy to compare.
Women's health
Contraception, cervical screening, menopause conversations and fertility questions, unhurried and without a script.
Physiotherapy
Assessment and rehabilitation for backs, shoulders, knees and post-injury recovery, in our ground-floor treatment room.
Travel & vaccination
Pre-travel advice, routine immunisations and seasonal vaccines, planned around your departure date.
Your visit
Three steps, no guesswork
Most people are unsure what happens after they send a message. Here is the whole process, start to finish.
Tell us what is going on
Send the request form with a sentence or two about the problem and when you are free. A clinician reads it, not an automated system.
We offer you a time
You get an email back with a slot and the name of the clinician you will see, plus anything worth bringing along — a list of medicines, or previous results.
You leave with a plan
Half an hour to talk it through, then a written summary of what we agreed, what happens next, and when to come back if things change.
Clinicians
Who you will actually see
A deliberately small team. When you book a course of care, you stay with the same clinician the whole way through.
Dr Maren Okonkwo
General practice lead
Maren set up Velvet Street after a decade in busy urban practice, mostly because she was tired of ten-minute appointments. She takes on general health and long-term condition reviews.
- General health
- Long-term conditions
- Skin
Iver Halloran
Physiotherapist
Iver runs the ground-floor treatment room and handles rehabilitation work. He is straightforward about timelines — you will hear how many weeks something is likely to take, not a vague promise.
- Physiotherapy
- Injury recovery
- Movement assessment
The clinic
A quiet building on a quiet street
Three consulting rooms, a treatment room and a waiting area that was designed to feel like somewhere you would not mind sitting for ten minutes.
- Step-free entrance and a ground-floor treatment room
- A separate quiet room for anyone who finds waiting areas difficult
- On-site bloods and dressings, so most tests happen in the same visit
- Interpreters and chaperones available when requested in advance
Opening times
- Monday to Thursday
- 8:00 — 18:30
- Friday
- 8:00 — 16:00
- Saturday
- 9:00 — 13:00
- Sunday
- Closed
Questions
Before you book
The things people ask us most often. If yours is not here, add it to the notes field on the request form.
Do I need a referral to be seen?
No. You can request an appointment directly for any of the six
care areas. If we think you need a specialist, we will write the referral for you
and explain who you are being sent to and why.
What happens at a first appointment?
A full thirty minutes. We go through your history, examine what
needs examining, and agree a plan. Bring a list of anything you take regularly,
including things bought over the counter.
How long will I wait for a slot?
We keep a small number of same-week slots for new problems and
book routine reviews further ahead. Your reply email will always give you a real
date rather than a place in a queue.
Is the building accessible?
The entrance is step-free and the treatment room is on the
ground floor. Consulting rooms upstairs are reachable by lift. Tell us in the
notes field if you need a ground-floor room and we will arrange it.
Can I get a copy of my records?
Yes. You are entitled to your notes and we will send them to
you, or to another practice if you move. Ask through the request form and we will
confirm what we need from you first.
What if I need to cancel?
Let us know as early as you can and we will rebook you. Slots
we hear about in advance almost always go to someone else who needs them, which
is the whole reason we ask.
Request a visit
Send us a note and we will find you a time
A clinician reads every request. You will get a reply with a proposed slot and the name of the person you will be seeing.
After you send it
- A clinician reads your request and checks the diary.
- You get an email with a proposed date, time and clinician name.
- Reply to confirm, or tell us what suits you better.
If it is urgent
This form is for routine appointments and is not monitored outside opening hours. For anything that cannot wait, or for chest pain, breathing difficulty or severe bleeding, use your local emergency service instead.